Chang’ea series of lunar probes launched by the China National Space Administration. The satellites are named for a goddess who, according to Chinese legend, flew from Earth to the Moon.

Chang’e 1 was China’s first spacecraft to travel beyond Earth orbit. Its mission included stereoscopic imaging of the lunar surface, assaying the chemistry of the surface, and testing technologies that could be used in expanding the Chinese national space program to the Moon. A Long March 3A rocket launched Chang’e 1 into an elliptical Earth orbit on Oct. 24, 2007. An upper stage injected it toward the Moon, and it entered lunar orbit on Nov. 5, 2007. Two days later it settled into a 200-km (120-mile) near polar orbit. After nearly 16 months in lunar orbit, Chang’e 1 was crashed into the Moon on March 1, 2009.

Chang’e 1 carried eight instruments. A stereo camera and a laser altimeter developed a three-dimensional map of the surface with the camera tilting forward, down, and aft to illuminate three charge-coupled device (CCD) arrays. The interferometer spectrometer imager used a special lens system to project light onto an array of CCDs. X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers measured radiation emitted by naturally decaying heavy elements or produced in response to solar radiation. These spectral data helped quantify the amounts of minerals on the lunar surface. The microwave radiometer detected microwaves emitted by the Moon itself and thus measured the thickness of the debris layer, or regolith, that fills the huge basins called maria. One aim of the regolith investigations was understanding how much helium-3 may be on the Moon. Helium-3 is a trace element in the solar wind, and the lunar surface has absorbed larger quantities of helium-3 than have been found on Earth. If mining on the moon ever became practical, helium-3 would be a valuable fuel for nuclear fusion power. Other instruments monitored the solar wind and space environment.

Chang’e 2 was launched by a Long March 3C rocket on Oct. 1, 2010. Instead of taking more than 13 days to reach the Moon as Chang’e 1 did, Chang’e 2 is designed to enter entered a 100-km (60-mile) circular lunar orbit 5 days after launch. Chang’e 2 was the backup satellite for Chang’e 1. However, the altimeter and the camera have much higher resolution, since the chief goal of the mission is to choose a landing site for Chang’e 3, which is scheduled for launch in 2013 and will have both a lunar lander and a rover. Chang’e 2’s mission is scheduled to last six months, and it will eventually enter an elliptical orbit that will take it as close as 15 km (9 miles) from the lunar surface.

Chang’e 4 is scheduled for launch in 2017 and is designed to return a lunar sample to Earth.